(Yicai Global) Feb. 4 -- Tesla has kicked off production at its CNY42 million (USD6.5 million) supercharger factory in Shanghai less than six months after announcing the pioneering project.

The 5,000-square-meter plant has an initial capacity to make 10,000 superchargers, mainly the V3 model, per year, the California-headquartered company's Chinese arm said in a statement yesterday. Before this, all such equipment were imported from the US.

Opening the factory will contribute to the increasing popularity of V3 superchargers in China, according to the firm. Tesla has so far installed more than 730 charging stations in China. A V3 supercharger can add 250 km of range by 15 minutes of charging.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi